The Fertile Earth and the Ordered Cosmos: Reflections on the Newark Earthworks and World Heritage

 Our book is available to order from

The Ohio State University Press, Barnes and Noble and Amazon  

as of June 2023!

$24.95 in Paperback or PDF EBook.
25 Color Illustrations, 152 pages.

Rising in quiet grandeur from the earth in an astoundingly engineered arrangement that ancient peoples mapped to the movements of the moon, Ohio’s Newark Earthworks form the largest geometric earthen complex ever known. In the two thousand years of their existence, they have served as gathering place, ceremonial site, fairground, army encampment, golf course, and park. And, at long last, they are poised (along with neighboring sites) to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site—a designation that recognizes their international importance as a direct link to the ancient past as well as their continuing cultural and archaeological significance.

The lush photos and wide-ranging essays of The Fertile Earth and the Ordered Cosmos honor this significance, not only to the global community but to local individuals and scholars who have developed intimate connections to the Earthworks. In sharing their experiences with this ancient site, public historians, archaeologists, physicists, architects, and others—including local and Indigenous voices—continue the work of nearly two hundred years of citizen efforts to protect and make accessible the Newark Earthworks after centuries of stewardship by Indigenous people. The resulting volume serves as a rich primer on the site for those unfamiliar with its history and a beautifully produced tribute for those who are already acquainted with its wonders.

All proceeds from the sale of this book go to support the Ohio History Connection and the Newark Earthworks Center in their efforts to manage and interpret the site for the world.

-The Ohio State University Press.

We are so excited to share the results 

of our collaboration!

Newark Earthworks, Great Circle.

“This volume reveals the beauty and precision of Indigenous science demonstrated through the Newark Earthworks and the urgent efforts to care for this sacred place in our time. The diversity of voices and insights makes clear that the Earthworks are still gifting us with knowledge written on the land.” —Sonya Atalay (Anishinaabe-Ojibwe), author of Community-Based Archaeology: Research with, by, and for Indigenous and Local Communities.

“The Fertile Earth and the Ordered Cosmos allows you to explore the awe, beauty, and genius of the Newark Earthworks and why they are just as significant as Stonehenge, the Colosseum, the Pyramids, or other world wonders. These essays reflect the work that is ongoing to center Indigenous voices in interpreting these places. Whether the Newark Earthworks are in your backyard or a globe away, these essays will illuminate their extraordinary human story, made of earth, one basket at a time.” —Megan Wood, executive director and CEO, Ohio History Connection.

“The dazzling site known as the Newark Earthworks has mystified, inspired, and captivated humans for millennia. Even today, it precisely charts the heavens and offers a place to consider the biggest questions in the universe. The Fertile Earth and the Ordered Cosmos is the first book to both explore its origins and to show how people in our own time continue to find meaning in its elegant construction.” —Paul Chaat Smith (Comanche), author and curator at the National Museum of the American Indian.

We have been privileged to feature the following

 scholars in our book:

• "Foreword: Making the Earthworks Public"
• Richard D. Shiels

Part I. What Are the Newark Earthworks? 

• "A Shawnee Perspective"
• Glenna J. Wallace
• "The Mystery in Our Midst"
• Aaron Keirns
• "Hard to Describe but Awesome to Experience"
• Brad Lepper
• "A Traveling Architect’s View"
• John E. Hancock
• "Earthworks Terminology"
• Richard D. Shiels
• "The Greatness of the Great Circle"
• Timothy R. W. Jordan

Part II. Uniting Earth and Sky

• "Exciting Times"
• John N. Low
• "Licking County’s Ancient Treasures"
• Bill Weaver
• "Nature and the Newark Earthworks"
• Jim Williams
• "How We Found the Lunar Alignments at the Octagon"
• Ray Hively and Robert Horn
• "Just How Does the Octagon Align with the Moon?"
• Richard D. Shiels
• "The Rhythm of the Moon Written on the Land"
• Mike Mickelson
• "The Rest of the Story"
• Brad Lepper

Part III. What Is World Heritage? 

• "Rising to the Occasion"
• Stacey Halfmoon
• "The Newark Earthworks Have Integrity"
• Brad Lepper
• "Designating the Octagon and Great Circle as World Heritage Sites"
• Jennifer Aultman
• "The Newark Earthworks Have Outstanding Universal Value"
• Brad Lepper
• "It Is Time to Prepare for Earthworks Tourism"
• M. Elizabeth Weiser
• "What Can America Learn from the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks?"
• Richard D. Shiels

Part IV. Experiencing and Remembering Earthworks

• "Places of Spirituality, Accomplishment, and Power"
• Marti L. Chaatsmith
• "The First Modern Lunar Standstill"
• Mike Mickelson
• "Complicated History Is Built into Our Landscape"
• M. Elizabeth Weiser
• "Generations of Learners Honor the Earthworks"
• Mary F. Borgia
• "The Other Newark Earthworks"
• Timothy R. W. Jordan
• "The Life-Changing Potential of Our Earthworks"
• Richard D. Shiels
• "Thin Places"
• Jim Williams
• "Thinking about Earthworks in New Ways"
• Timothy R. W. Jordan

Part V. The Ohio Phenomenon

• "World Heritage for the Hopewell Culture Earthworks"
• Richard D. Shiels
• "The Fort Ancient Earthworks: Similar but Different"
• Brad Lepper
• "Hopewell Culture National Historical Park: The Hopewell Core"
• Bret J. Ruby
• "How the Great Hopewell Road Connected Newark with Chillicothe"
• Brad Lepper
• "My Hopewell Pilgrimage between Chillicothe and Newark"
• Norita Yoder

Part VI. Ancient Communities Coming Together

• "Indigenous Values Infuse the World Heritage Movement"
• Christine Ballengee Morris
• "Licking County’s 14,000-Year History"
• Timothy R. W. Jordan
• "Building Earthworks, Building Community"
• Jim Williams
• "A Prehistoric Legacy for the Present"
• Ray Hively and Robert Horn
• "A 2,000-Year-Old Intellectual Center"
• Lucy E. Murphy

Part VII. Modern Communities Coming Together

• "Growing Up in the Mahoning Valley"
• Jay Toth
• "Seeing the Moon Again for the First Time"
• Jeff Gill
• "Want a Better Community? Be Awestruck"
• M. Elizabeth Weiser
• "Drawn Together at Earthworks"
• Timothy R. W. Jordan
• "Universal Value and Significance"
• Hope Taft
• "A World Heritage Fledgling"
• Jennifer Aultman